In lieu of typing out one (OF THE MANY!) furious political rants I've been yelling at the walls over the past monthweek 24-hour news cycle, I'll tell you a more happy story. A blog reader FB messaged me with a note of thanks after seeing my photos from the protest again the Muslim ban. We chatted back and forth for a bit -- like sooooooo many of the readers I've gotten to know over the years, she was funny and friendly, a fellow mom with a creative streak, generous and kind. She was also, you know, a Muslim. And obviously not having the best day.

She asked if she could send the boys a little gift from her Etsy shop, and since handmade gifts from readers have always been and always will be my favorite thing in the world (other than say, a bunch of Sephora gift cards in the wake of the Zombie Pinkeye Makeup Drawer-pocalypse), I said yes! Please! Gimme dat swag.

She specifically insisted no plug or pimpage was needed, but nahhhhh, sorry Farah. Her shop is LittleMuslimDolls.

Naturally Ike immediately turned them into flying superhero ninjas. Ezra simply paired them up as mommies and daddies.

Those dolls are great! I don't have kids, but am thinking about friends who are parents who will want to know about them.

Tell Ezra the sword is a great idea. I saw a person using one on Sunday, at the Rally for Trans Youth in Boston, using one to hold up his sign. (Pictures in my blog post about it, http://knit-read-cats-hockey.blogspot.com/2017/03/exhausting-but-important.html)

The dolls are awesome. I hope we all listen carefully about what is happening in our world. Both sides need to listen as there are a lot of scary things going on and it isn't Donald Trump. It is so easy to believe what we want that we readily believe lies. I am speaking for conservatives also. What I see and hear now from people really shows how divided and unwilling to bend our America has become. Bless your Muslim Friend it was wonderful for her to share with your boys.

thank you so much for sharing this. One of my close friends is a Muslim immigrant from East Africa. His wife and 9 year son just joined him in the US about 1 year ago, and they recently had another baby. I am sick thinking of the world those kids are living in--though thankfully in a very diverse part of the DC burbs where a woman in a hijab is not unusual and where most kids in the schools are immigrants themselves (not that this protects them fully, but it helps). I'm going to buy them some of these dolls--and recommend to many other friends with kids.

I think it's important, in our efforts to support the Muslim community, that we don't fall into stereotyping.... these images are lovely, but they are very Arab/ Middle Eastern. That's only representative of a portion! There are Asian Muslims, and African Muslims, and European Muslims, and so on, many of whom veil in different ways and many who don't veil at all. There are also other cultures and religions in which women (and men!) veil or cover.

Our beauty as humans in our diversity.... Amalah definitely celebrates the unique in us all!

Abesha - I don't know if you had a chance to check out the actual Etsy shop, but there are quite a few representations listed in my quick browsing. I saw a Muslim Japanese woman in a kimono, Muslim doctors, varying degrees of veils, and all kinds of skin colors. Plus some that were just plain primary colors for matching and counting.

OK girl. We get it. You think think the right "hates" Muslims, therefore, you are morally and ethically taking a good stand here. Let me ask you this: is it possible that your Muslim mom friend is in fact, a good parent, endearing friend, and kind and smart as well - but, someone who is part of a religious cult that oppresses women and gay people too? See, the right doesn'the hate Muslims, we don't think they are not smart or unkind or all "bad" people - the majority of us think they are wonderful people, who happen to be associated with a destructive and abusive cult. Love you Amy, but your political commentary is all propaganda bs.

HeyFriend: Ok girl. We get it, you think you're the voice of "reason." I've met tons of people who hate gays and women, and most of them are Americans for rooty-tooty liberty freedom. Here's something you should know: you can't claim to love America while ignoring what America stands for. If you don't want to read what Amy has to say, please find your way back to Breitbart or The Blaze or wherever you came from, since propaganda seems to be what you mainly are concerned with.

HelloFriend, honey, I'm actually embarrassed for you. I'm so sad for you that this is how you see the world, But even more than that, that you would come here and say this on this post and describe this woman's religion this way? I'm actually cringing with embarrassment for you over your behavior.

My response to HelloFriend is to simply let Amy's perfect choice for a post title speak for itself. As the song says, "you hold the key to love and fear." I hope someday you pick the right one, HelloFriend:

Get Together
(The Youngbloods)

Love is but a song to sing
Fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

If you hear the song I sing
You will understand (listen!)
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

I love this blog and love the general positivity (it's hard, when someone as...unique as Trump gets elected, and he likely wasn't most readers' candidate to boot - wasn't mine either, but then neither was HRC). I also love the generally positive and supportive comments. I also enjoy seeing other points of view represented, especially when bloggers make their preferences/stance known on whatever the current issue is. But the poking and pointing and "propaganda-ing"? Not necessary. It's okay if you have an opinion - I have lots of opinions on all sorts of things. But religion is one of those tricky things - there are a lot of different shades. For instance, I can't be sure, but I believe that at one point humans who "share" my religion invaded someone else's land and claimed it for their own. They also enslaved a race, or many races, and even an entire gender, to an extent. Multiple times, throughout history, in one form or another. But that doesn't mean that ALL of the humans who "share" my religion believe that was the right thing to do, and in fact many of those same people would rally to the defense of many given the chance. So. Let's maybe quit it with the "cult" stuff. It's okay to be unsure of something...but maybe do some research and don't judge it all on some bad acts you heard about on FoxNews.

Thanks for deciding to link the shop - I'm in the process of outfitting a dollhouse for my daughter's upcoming 3rd birthday. It's set to be an amazing house with all sorts of people and animals (and fine, I'm probably more excited about it than she will be. WHATEVER). A few of these will fit in nicely. I've bookmarked it to make my decisions later.

Sorry, Dawn, were you under the impression that this was the letters to the editor section of your local newspaper where an editorial staff is making sure that fair and balanced viewpoints representing all sides are given equal time? That Amy's blog is an open microphone at your local town hall where you're talking to bipartisan leadership? Are you under the impression that this is a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters where a moderator with a stopwatch makes sure the candidates from both parties get to speak for the exact same amount of time? Amy's blog isn't fanfiction about your favorite Internet family. They are real people, with real opinions, and a real point of view living in America today. Do you honestly think that someone like Amy who has written so candidly and honesty about parenting a child with a disability would support President Trump when he's openly mocked people with disabilities? I'm hear that you don't feel like your voice is represented here, but I can't imagine why you would feel so entitled or even remotely entertain the thought that it should be. It's really inappropriate.

Oh Dawn. You (and HelloFriend) are 200% entitled and allowed to express whatever opinion you want! I don't delete or moderate comments. Your fellow commenters, however, are also 200% allowed to refute and disagree with you, like literally every other comment section on the internet. Maybe learn to read the room?

This blog started in 2003 and I've blocked a total of 17 IP addresses, using a three strke rule.